Numerous types of plant supports have been devised in which a standard is forced into the soil and one or more loops or guide members on the standard will encircle stems of the plant so as to encourage growth of the plant stems in a particular direction. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,124,049 to J. J. Battista et al a stake is provided from which support members are adjustably clipped at different locations along the stake for the purpose of supporting plant stems. A similar approach is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 879,047 to H. Heubner et al. Other patents illustrate various types of stake or rod attachments, such as, U.S. Pat. Nos. 548,508 to O. C. Bjelland; 687,283 to W. F. Springer et al; 2,851,823 to C. C. Peterson as well as 3,061,976 to J. J. Carroll et al and 3,302,328 to W. E. King. Another patent of general interest in this field in U.S. Pat. No. 1,911,979 to H. J. Varrs, Jr. et al which discloses a metal rod standard having wire bent into helical springs to slide frictionally on the standard with outer ends of the springs being formed to encircle the stems of the plant.
A disclosure document dated Jan. 7, 1987, was filed by inventor George W. Ferguson in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office under No. 161,82, relating to the invention of this application.
The purpose of the present invention is to offer controlled vertical growth for plants that would otherwise grow in an undesirable manner and which offers additional advantages of being conformable for different sized indoor and outdoorplants, tree saplings, flowering shrubs and bushes.